Jordan’s China trip isn’t a loyalty test. It’s a receipt
King Abdullah II is in Beijing this week, his first visit to China since 2015. The instinct in Washington will be to treat that as a warning sign: a treaty ally’s king courting Xi Jinping, right as commentators reach for words like “hedge” and “pivot.”
TL;DR
- Jordan's King Abdullah II visited Beijing seeking manufacturing, technology, and tourism, not a new patron.
- Jordan's garment industry relies on Chinese inputs, facing new U.S. tariffs if Chinese content cannot be verified.
- China seeks goodwill and stability in the region, not significant economic leverage in Jordan.
- Jordan is pursuing alternative revenue streams due to regional security risks and the inadequacy of U.S. aid.
- The U.S. should pay attention to the manufacturing friction and the gaps in aid that China is filling.